I am just starting to get into backcountry skiing and would like a good resource to read over the summer to prepare for next season. Any suggestions.
Thanks
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I am just starting to get into backcountry skiing and would like a good resource to read over the summer to prepare for next season. Any suggestions.
Thanks
Thanks!!
http://www.amazon.com/Staying-Alive-...1285054&sr=8-1
I'd highly recommend Tremper. I found it very useful when getting started. Explanations are great and easy to understand.
Snow Sense is a great book to start out with. Good info but small enough you can read it cover to cover two or three times to really absorb some knowledge. Then you can graduate to Trempers book with the knowledge to not be overwhelmed by the vast amount of intricate detail in the book as well as knowing what sections you should focus on.
Happy learning.
http://images.betterworldbooks.com/0...0964399402.jpg
Thanks. I just got a copy of Tremper's book; but I'll have to check out Snow Sense as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by the Mad
^^^^^ I would recommend getting into (and understanding) Tremper's book (Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain) before reading The Avalanche Handbook. That is much more indepth and geared towards Level 2 courses, etc... (although it is also a great book, and frankly the "Bible" for avalanche reading). I just think Tremper presents the first level of info better towards a new student.
Also, if you do pick up The Avalanche Handbook, I would not purchase the one schindlerpiste linked to (although I am sure he just googled for the name and linked and was not intended to recommend this actual one). That linked version is a very old editition and I am sure many of the information has changed.
Stolen from Jonathan S's course guide:
http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...resources.html
^^ I agree. As a BC jong myself, but way overeducated in the sciences... Tremper's book is an excellent and easy read whereas the Avalanche Handbook reads like a textbook and requires the reader to have a fair amount of science background or googling skills to fully understand. IMO.
I took an AST LEvel I course up in Canadia. The CAA coursebook is a concise overview of the basics. I would recommend taking a course. Nothing beats hands-on learning from those in the know and the opportunity to ask them questions in person. The book reading is much more meaningful for me now post course.
PS. Anyone know how to get rid of this freakin' impossible to read blue background on the "your Message" inputting screen????
I've read most of the avy books out there, and I think that Tremper's book is by far the best.
Here are some suggestions:
http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...re-course.html
http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...resources.html
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain!! All you need to know. Read it cover to cover a couple times.
Bump for a topic I was looking at today and I imagine others are starting to think about this time of year.
There are a lot of good recommendations here. But, the one book that can save you years of learning the hard way in the field is Secrets of the Snow: Visual Clues to Avalanche and Ski Conditions, by Edward R. LaChapelle (published by Gray Stone Books).
I always read Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain at the beginning of every season and come back to it time after time every season. Definitely my number one when it comes to books.
If anything, honest to goodness, the best way to go about it is simply get the books on this page and take the quiz - http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...re-course.html
Watch this too-
http://www.lifeonterra.com/episode.php?id=77
I've read Snow Sense (fredston, fesler) and Backcountry Avalanche Awareness(Jamiensen).
Just comparing these 2 books, Backcountry Avalanche Awareness was better.
Snow Sense was poorly written (style, language choice, structure), overly pessimistic.
I have a science, engineering, and reliability background. My interest in reading these books was personal back country recreational skiing - not leading uneducated, teaching, or commercial.
Just bought the Tremper book, Staying alive in Avalanche Terrain, and it's really good. Well written and pretty easy to understand. Got the backcountry bug this summer and I wanted to look more into Avalanche safety...so glad I found this thread. I'd suggest buying the Tremper book though, it's cheap and good.
Definitely agree with the Tremper book - what's really important is that he gets into HUMAN FACTORS, that some of the other more "science-y" books tend to skip or glaze over.
Group dynamics, routefinding, confirmation bias, etc are all things that digging a snow pit or looking at crystals won't help you with.
Here's a big pile of books, several of which have already been mentioned in this thread (and elsewhere like the BC JONG thread)... http://www.nwac.us/education/books/
If you're not the easily frightened type, I personally like reading through the "Avalanche Accidents" books - I can't remember the exact title or author, but I know the Anchorage library has 'em. They basically cover a wide variety of "what went wrong" with some pictures/maps/etc that let you learn from mistakes others have made, and unfortunately, sometimes had tragic ends. I think it's useful to see how common some mistakes are and to see how "easy" some of the problems are to overlook.
my .02
level one - snow sense
level two - staying alive in avalanche terrain
level three - the avalanche handbook
i would also echo halstead's sentiments regarding Secrets of the Snow
for additional reading many ISSW proceedings are available online as is the AAA publication The Avalanche Review. also The Snowy Torrents and Avalanche Accidents in Canada for some sobering reality checks.
ps download this (McCammonHTraps PDF) and read it before every season then again part way through. there has been lots of additional commentary on this subject since the paper was first published that you will easily find with a google search
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...9Fjzzw&cad=rja
I thought snow sense was an excellent book for someone interested in the basics of taking care of themselves in avalanche terrain. The decision-making framework in that book is quite easy to remember and remains sound after many years.
It's a bit painful to see the The Avalanche Handbook on the shelves at REI. The volume is a fantastic resource, but is not very approachable for the skier who just wants to go bc touring and learn the basics of avalanche safety.
McCammon's work on heuristics is an excellent refresher every year. Particularly the section on level of avalanche education vs accident rates
I think a lot of people would do bertter with Staying Alive as their Level 1 book. There's more in it than a Level I student needs, but that leaves them room to grow and it isn't texbookish. Snow Sense is the perfect Introduction or Awareness book. YMMV!
If you are at all technical in job or schooling I'd agree wholeheartedly. Snow Sense is worthless imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Summit
Snowy Torrents are kinda pointless now unless V5 comes out; Avalanche Accidents in Canada volumes 1 through 4 are available via PDF for free:
http://www.avalanche.ca/caa/publicat...nche-accidents
some other interesting paper there, as well as at Backcountry Access"
http://backcountryaccess.com/index.php?id=84
Even just the avy chapter in the Volken ski touring book is way better than Snow Sense.
(I require Snow Sense for my courses only b/c NSP says I'm officially supposed to.)
I already posted this earlier in thread, but I'll repeat it here since so much else is being repeated:
http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...re-course.html
http://avycourse.blogspot.com/2010/0...resources.html
Apologies in advance is the second link takes you to lots of broken links, but I'd certainly appreciated having them pointed out (as well as suggestions to worthy additions).
At long last:
http://www.wildsnow.com/6011/snow-sense-book-review/
^^^ Cool thanks for posting. Interestingly, I have never read snow sense (just Tremper and The Avalanche Handbook). Now I want to go check out a copy of that when it is available.
Here's the pile of books I've read to enlighten myself as a ski enthusiast, I'm sure they have been mentioned.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a1...1/f94ccd39.jpg
Snow Sense
Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain
Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book
Avalanche Handbook
Backcountry Skiing
Mountaineering Freedomg of the Hills
OEC 5th Ed.
When I am traveling I usually take Snow Sense as a refresher to read on my downtime and more often then not it's in my day pack along with a smaller
first aid book.
Free Skiing is really good for the illustrations and photographs.
I think perhaps more important than books is a qualified instructor who can explain the concepts and demonstrate. It's one thing to read about a snow pack in a book and another to actually look at one.
The other day I was given a new copy of SNOW SENSE. It has been reedited by Karl Birkeland and Doug Chabot (two of the leading snow science and avalanche forecasters). A quick look show the rescue section and "sledding smart in avalanche country have been updated.
Ordered a new copy of Snow Sense. I guess mine is like the first edition from 1999?
In the free reading list:
Snow Observational Guidelines
I just read staying alive. Good book for someone who has never seen a snow pit and knows minimal amount about snow structure and behaviour. I have the avalanche handbook as well but I think I am going to read that after I have done my Avy 1 course.
I find that the accident reports CAC publishes, while a bit morbid, reinforce a lot of the best practices for being safe in the backcountry (always have your big three pieces of gear, etc). I don't really read them to develop my snow sense, as I will look to get that from on the snow experience with people who know what is up.
I've at least looked through most of these books, and thought for a while that I wanted to study avalanches, until I realized I was the only graduate school applicant in any of the North American schools that even have an avy professor/program that was trying to apply with a bachelors in art. Needless to say, I did not make it into any of their programs...
I recently enjoyed reading "In the grip of avalanches" by Jill Fredston.
there were some good things in there and it provided some perspective on maybe why, as someone previously mentioned, "snow sense" was a bit 'negative' in viewpoint.
Taking an Avy 1 course is definitely awesome, if you can. I'd love to take Level 2, but can't justify the price nor the travel costs since I live in an area where avalanches don't really occur.